c/ask-a-neighbor

Showerthought: I saw a trick for keeping trash cans from tipping over at the park

I was walking my dog at Riverside Park this morning and noticed all the public trash cans had a cinder block placed inside the bottom of each one. The city worker I asked said they started doing it after a windy day last fall tipped over about fifteen cans. It weighs them down for free and keeps the bags from sliding around. Has anyone tried something like that at home for their own cans?

My kitchen sink drain was clogged for a whole month before I figured it out

I thought it was just slow, so I tried the usual stuff like baking soda and vinegar. That did nothing. Then I bought a cheap plastic drain snake from the hardware store, but it just wouldn't catch on whatever was down there. I was about to call a plumber, which would have cost me at least $200. On a total whim, I took apart the P-trap under the sink, and it was totally clear. The real problem was a weird little plastic cap from a bottle of dish soap that had gotten pushed way up into the pipe above the trap. I finally fished it out with a bent coat hanger. It took me four weekends of messing with it to solve a problem that was actually pretty simple. Has anyone else had a clog that turned out to be something totally random stuck in a weird spot?

My garage used to be a total mess until I started labeling bins

Back when we moved into this house in 2015, I'd just shove stuff into the garage wherever it fit. Christmas lights got tangled with old paint cans, and finding a specific screwdriver meant digging for twenty minutes. It was chaos. About a year ago, I finally bought a label maker and a bunch of those big plastic bins from the hardware store. Now every single thing has a home. I even put a laminated sheet on the wall that lists what's in each numbered bin. It sounds over the top, but it saves me so much time. Has anyone else gone full-on organizer mode in their garage, or am I the only one?

Pro tip: I chose the $5 bag of play sand over the fancy paver base for my patio project

I was fixing a small corner of my patio in Springfield and had to pick between the expensive branded paver base or a basic bag of sand from the hardware store. I went with the sand, and after leveling it and putting the bricks back, you can't even tell the difference (it's been solid for 3 months now). Has anyone else used regular sand for a small repair like this, or did I just get lucky?

Heads up about the new trash pickup schedule in the Maplewood area

I've seen three houses on my street get their bins left full this week because they missed the switch to the new pickup days. The city changed it from Tuesdays to Thursdays starting last month, but the mailer they sent looked like junk. My neighbor's recycling has been sitting out since Monday. If you live near the old high school, double-check the city website or call 311 to confirm your day. Has anyone else had issues with the new schedule, or found a better way to get reminders?

Question about a flooded basement after the storm last Tuesday

I was in my basement in Cincinnati last Tuesday when the heavy rain started, and within an hour I had about 3 inches of water pooling near the washing machine. I ended up using my wet-dry vac for two hours straight to get it all out. Has anyone else had to deal with water coming in from that corner of their house and found a good fix?

I was at the library and heard a mom tell her kid 'we fix things, we don't just buy new ones'

I was picking up a book hold at the downtown branch last Tuesday, and this little girl, maybe 5, was upset because the strap on her backpack broke. Her mom knelt down, looked at the torn fabric, and said that exact line. She pulled a small sewing kit from her own bag and they sat right there on the floor. The mom showed her how to thread a needle and they stitched it up together, talking about making it stronger. It wasn't a big deal, but it stuck with me all week. I'm so used to just ordering a replacement the second something gets a little worn out. That five minute repair probably saved them $30 on a new backpack, but it felt like it was about more than the money. How do you all handle small breaks like that at home? Do you have a go-to fix for common stuff, or does it usually mean a trip to the store?

Tbh I finally tried that vinegar trick on my showerhead after 6 months of ignoring it

Honestly, the water pressure is like new now, which I totally didn't expect. Anyone have a good method for cleaning the actual shower tiles next?

Rant: my basement drain started backing up every time it rained

Tried a regular snake twice, didn't work. A plumber quoted me $800 to dig up the yard. Instead, I bought a $40 drain bladder from the hardware store, attached it to my garden hose, and shoved it down the cleanout. Ran it for about 15 minutes and it cleared a solid foot of roots and mud. That was six months ago and no problems since. Anyone know a good way to stop roots from growing toward the pipe in the first place?

My neighbor's kid offered to mow my lawn for $40, I said no and bought a robot mower instead

The kid is nice but I saw him do a patchy job across the street. I dropped $800 on a basic Robomow model last month. It runs twice a week and the lines are perfect, zero effort from me. Anyone else go the robot route and have tips for keeping it off the flower beds?

I used to wash my car every Sunday, now I just let the rain handle it

For like two years straight, I'd be out there with a bucket and hose in my driveway every single weekend, no joke. Then last spring, I got a new job with a longer drive and I just stopped having the energy for it. My black Honda Civic in Charlotte looks dusty 90% of the time now, and I only really scrub it down before visiting family. Anyone else just give up on a chore they used to be super strict about?

I tried both a $12 plastic drain snake and calling a plumber for my kitchen sink. The difference was huge.

TIL my old way of storing potatoes was making them sprout faster

I used to keep my russet potatoes in a paper bag in the pantry, but they'd always get soft and sprouty within a week. Last month I read about storing them in a cool, dark place, so I tried a cardboard box in my basement, which stays around 55 degrees. They lasted almost a full month without a single sprout. Has anyone else tried a different storage spot that worked well?

Rant: Everyone says to call a plumber for a clog, but I fixed mine with a $5 tool from the hardware store.

My kitchen sink in Austin backed up last Tuesday, and I used a simple hand auger after watching a YouTube video. Has anyone else tried this instead of paying for a service call?

The week my quiet street turned into a non-stop block party

So last week, the city decided to replace the water main on my street, which meant they had to shut off water for everyone for about 36 hours. They gave us notice, but what they didn't say was that the crew would start at 7 AM sharp every day with jackhammers. The noise was unreal, and you couldn't even make coffee. But here's the weird part: it ended up being kind of great. Everyone was outside, complaining at first, then sharing bottled water and letting neighbors use their hoses. Someone fired up a grill for lunch, and by day two it felt like a weird, unplanned festival. It was a huge pain, but I met more people on my street in three days than in the last three years. Has anyone else had a big nuisance turn into a surprisingly good time with their neighbors?

Changed my mind about cleaning my grill grates

I always used to soak my grill grates in soapy water and scrub them with a wire brush after every cookout. It was a huge pain and took forever. Last month, my brother-in-law was over and saw me doing it. He told me to just heat the grill on high for 15 minutes after cooking, then use a ball of crumpled aluminum foil to scrape the grates while they're hot. I tried it the next time I grilled some burgers, and wow. The old grease and bits just turned to ash and wiped right off. It took maybe 5 minutes total, and the grates looked cleaner than my old method ever got them. I feel kind of dumb for not knowing this trick sooner. Has anyone else found a simple hack that saved them a ton of time on a regular chore?

My whole street's water pressure dropped after the city replaced a main valve

It happened about two weeks ago when the crew was working on Maple Avenue. Before that, my shower was strong enough to rinse shampoo fast, but now it's just a weak trickle. The city said it was a 'standard pressure adjustment' for the new valve, but it's made doing dishes take twice as long. Has anyone else had this happen and gotten them to fix it?

I just lost $60 on a 'miracle' drain cleaner that did nothing but make my sink smell like chemicals.

Has anyone found a real fix for a slow kitchen drain that doesn't involve calling a plumber?

PSA: I lost $40 on a 'miracle' drain cleaner that was just baking soda and vinegar.

My kitchen sink was slow last month, so I bought a fancy bottle of 'professional strength' gel for $40 at the hardware store. It said to pour it in and wait overnight. I did, and it just fizzed a bit and did nothing. I called a plumber, who told me it was basically the same as the old baking soda and vinegar trick. Had to pay him $120 to actually clear the clog. Has anyone found a store-bought drain cleaner that actually works, or is it all a scam?

I was at the library and heard two people talking about watering plants

I was picking up a book last Tuesday and overheard a woman telling her friend she waters her indoor plants with leftover water from her dehumidifier. She said her ferns have looked better than ever for the past six months. I tried it on my own peace lily, using the water from my basement dehumidifier, and the leaves are much greener now. Has anyone else tried something like this, or is there a reason I shouldn't keep doing it?

Spent about $200 on a robot vacuum for my apartment and it's honestly the best thing I've bought this year.

I was at the grocery store in Springfield and saw a checkout line trick that changed my whole routine

This older guy in front of me at the Kroger on Main Street had his cart perfectly organized with all the barcodes facing up, heavy stuff first, and cold items together. He was done in like 90 seconds flat. I used to just throw stuff on the belt and it always took forever. Now I sort my cart the same way every single time and it's way faster. Does anyone else have a specific store routine that saves a ton of time?

I finally had to deal with a flooded basement last Tuesday

I was in my laundry room around 7 PM when I heard a weird gurgle from the floor drain. Next thing I know, there's an inch of brown water coming up from it, fast. I ran and turned off the main water valve, which I only knew how to do because my dad showed me once. I spent the next two hours with a wet vac I borrowed from my buddy Carl, trying to stop it from reaching the finished part of the basement. The cleanup guy who came the next day said it was a city sewer backup, not my pipes. Now I'm stuck between just cleaning up and maybe putting in a backwater valve, which he said costs about $2,500. Has anyone here actually gotten one installed and was it worth the cash?

My kitchen window herb box went from sad to full in just under a month

I've always killed herbs, but this time I tried something different. I got a cheap plastic window box from the garden center, drilled a bunch more holes in the bottom, and used a bag of potting mix made for veggies. I planted basil, parsley, and thyme from tiny starter plants about four weeks ago. The big change was I put it on a strict schedule, watering it a little bit every single morning with a small cup of water, no more, no less. I also moved it to a spot that gets the afternoon sun. Now the basil is huge and I'm actually using it for cooking. What other herbs are tough to mess up for a beginner like me?

Warning: my kitchen sink was draining slow for weeks and I almost called a plumber.

I saw a video where a guy in Austin said to pour a whole pot of boiling water down, wait five minutes, then follow it with a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar. Did it last night and it cleared right up, no chemicals. Has anyone else had luck with this method on really old pipes?